Council agrees deal for homes replacing Wolverhampton community centre

City of Wolverhampton Council will buy five of the homes set to eventually replace the empty Daisy Bank Community Centre in Ash Street, Bradley, once demolished.

The former school and community centre closed in 2013 as part of a series of closures and money-saving mergers by City of Wolverhampton Council and despite a campaign by local residents to save the popular now near 150-year-old building.

City of Wolverhampton Council approved plans to demolish the former community centre to make way for 18 new homes last June. The homes are expected to be built by 2027.

At a meeting on Wednesday (April 9), the council’s Labour cabinet agreed to buy five of the homes from WV Living, the housing development company owned by the council, to be made available for ‘affordable’ rent.

The homes will be managed by Wolverhampton Homes, another arm’s length company responsible for letting the council’s properties.

Steve Evans, the council’s cabinet member for city housing said the homes would be a mix of two to four-bed homes and a bungalow and would be bought using part of the council’s £27m ‘new build’ fund.

Cllr Evans said the purchase would provide a “much-needed opportunity for local residents who wish to rent” and was “well aware of the [building’s] heritage and history” and would “seek to incorporate it into the development.”

Cllr Stephen Simkins, leader of Wolverhampton Council who represents Bilston South which includes Bradley, said the demolition of Daisy Bank would be a “sad day” but also said the lack of affordable housing in the city was “desperately sad” and he had already received three calls that day enquiring about housing.

“The pressing issue is that there is such a shortage [of housing] especially for people who are struggling,” he said at the cabinet meeting on April 9.

“I hate to use the word ‘sofa surfing’ but that is a fact in today’s housing crisis and it’s sad to see a former school that people have a lot of affinity with, so do I, but we must look to a brighter future.

“We must look to get as much housing as we can for our people to live a good quality life in our city. It is desperately sad.”

Cllr Simkins said he was glad the plans included a commitment to incorporate as much of the original heritage as possible but it is unclear what parts of the Victorian building would be preserved as the planning application approved by the council in 2022 included the complete demolition of the former school and later community centre.

“It is really important that we do recognise our history and celebrate it,” Cllr Simkins added at the cabinet meeting.

“It will be a sad day for people in Bradley, as it is for myself, but what is sad for me is the amount of people that come on my phone and say that I’m living on a settee, I’m living with mates, I’m getting pushed from pillar to post.

“The bigger problem is the lack of affordable housing and that’s what is important on this project.”